Let the Right One In
by Arikae
Summary: Episode Tag for S01E17. In this version, Elena isn't a part of the rescue of Stefan. Damon and Alaric go into the house together to get Stefan back. Elena and Alaric see a side of Damon they never thought existed.


**Author: Okay, I'm going all the way back to season 1. This is an episode tag for 'Let the Right One In' (S01E17). I've always wanted to re-write this episode because it had so much potential for Defan brotherly moments but I never really got around to it. Then I got a request from** **alexandraghinea65 asking for a tag for this episode so here it is. I'm not exactly as pleased with it as I am with my other TVD stories but I'm still amazed at myself for getting it out because I'm having a lot of trouble writing stories lately.**

Damon Salvatore was ready to tear down the house full of the tomb vampires to get to his brother. He watched them stab Stefan with a wooden stake in front of him. He listened to Elena tell him how much she needed her brother, watch her expression telling him how much she loved his brother and that was why she wanted to help. She didn't understand. Nobody did. Damon and Stefan have been brothers for over a century and a half. Yes, he promised an eternity of misery because Stefan forced him to live without Katherine, but he knows now that he meant nothing to Katherine Pearce. He convinced himself that he hated Stefan but he knew it was a charade. When push came to shove, when Stefan got hurt or was in trouble, Damon would move heaven and earth to save him. So for Elena to stand in the classroom implying that he didn't understand how it felt made him even angrier. "Stefan is my brother. I am getting him out of there and you're going to stay away because I can't protect you and save him."

"I can't just do nothing!" Elena cried.

"Yes, you can because Stefan will never forgive himself if anything happened to you. I know you want to help but all you will do is hold me back. I will go in with Alaric and get Stefan out. That's all I'm going to say about it. Go back to our place and wait for us." He gave her the keys to the boarding house. "Go." Damon waited until Elena was out the door before turning to Alaric. "Are you ready?"

"Killing vampires is what I do." Alaric followed him out of the school.

* * *

Alaric pushed the woman out of her house to Damon. Damon held her head in his hands and looked into her eyes, "Miss Gibbons, tell me the truth. Are you married?"

"No." The poor confused woman shook her head.

"Parents, children, anyone else who lives on this property?"

"No. It's just me." She answered in a daze, not knowing what was about to happen.

"Good." Damon snapped her neck and dropped her. He stepped over the threshold with no problem.

"You were supposed to compel her." Alaric whispered harshly at him. This woman was an innocent.

"It doesn't work that way." Damon whispered back. He probably would've snapped her neck even if she weren't compelled because it was faster. He needed to get to his brother quickly.

"She is human." Alaric argued. He came here to kill vampires not humans.

Damon was getting sick of this bickering. "And I'm not! So, I don't care." He peeked out the kitchen door, into the hallway. No one was there. "They probably have Stefan in the basement. Go around the side. I'll be there soon. I'm going to check out the rest of the house first."

Alaric reluctantly nodded and went out the door. Damon hid the body of the vampire in the pantry. There was another vampire on the way in. Damon stood at the door and waited until he was close then swung the door open and staked the man with the stake Alaric killed the other guy with. "That's two down." He stepped out carefully and listened. He could hear the vampires playing pool in the back room. He looked up at the ceiling. Nobody was upstairs. That left the basement. Damon moved quickly and silently.

* * *

Stefan hung by his wrists in the basement of the old home. The ropes burned into his wrists. He lifted his head, looking at the man who tried to stop Frederick from torturing him. Harper was his name. "Thank you…for trying…to help me."

"They just needed somebody to blame." Harper tried to make him understand why Frederick and the others were doing this. They've been trapped in the tomb for 148 years and Katherine wasn't around to focus the blame so the Salvatore brothers were the next best things. "Someone to punish."

"Katherine…lied to us…as well…" Stefan hated what she had done to Damon and him. All this malice and anger between them began with her. She compelled Stefan to love her because she knew he didn't but Damon did love her. She pit them against each other leading to 150 years of blood, pain and misery. Stefan hated her.

* * *

When Damon reached the basement, Alaric had just taken out the vampire on guard duty. "Nice." Damon approved.

"Thanks." Alaric nudged his chin at the door on the end. "In there."

Damon opened the door and felt his blood boil at the sight of his brother. His injuries weren't healing because of the vervain in his system and on the ropes.

Stefan looked up at the two people who just entered. His heart skipped a beat when he thought Frederick was back for some more fun. He couldn't see who they were due to the vervain drops. "Stefan." Stefan squinted. It was his brother. He saw his brother's blurry figure walk towards the table and pick up a stake. "No…no…not him." He begged as Damon eyed Harper in the chair.

Damon softened at his brother's weak plea. "Whatever." He dropped the stake on the table, trying to act as if this wasn't affecting him in anyway. He went to pull the rope that would release Stefan.

"Vervain…on the ropes." Stefan warned the older vampire.

Damon grimaced, wiping his hands on his jeans. "Alaric, pull that." He caught his brother as Alaric released the rope. For a split second he held his brother in his arm, savouring the fact that Stefan was still alive, before he leaned him against the cement column for support. "Let's get out of here. Get his jacket."

"Wait…" Stefan stepped over and pulled the stake out of one of Harper's legs as Alaric wrapped Stefan jacket around his shoulders. "Get the other one." Alaric wasn't sure about it but Stefan was a good man. He pulled the stake out and then wrapped his arms around Stefan, leading the weakened vampire out of the basement.

"Get him out of here." Damon ordered.

"What about you?" Alaric asked.

"You rescue. I'll distract." Damon told him.

"Damon!" Stefan called out to his brother. Damon turned to him in frustration. He wanted Stefan out of here now! "Be…careful." Damon's expression softened. He nodded and then stared at Alaric.

Alaric nodded, "I'll get him to the car."

"Drive. Don't wait for me." Damon said before speeding up the steps.

* * *

Alaric stumbled with Stefan, who struggled to stay on his feet. "Almost there, Stefan." He worried at how much Stefan was struggling. He'd heard how animal blood dulled vampire abilities. Damon was much stronger than Stefan because of their diet. Stefan wasn't going to bounce back from today as easily as any other vampire would. Stefan groaned as Alaric dragged him along. They were almost to the car.

* * *

Damon tried to take Frederick down with the element of surprise but the man was smarter and quicker than he looked. He was also extremely strong with over a century of bent up anger to fuel his rage. He wanted the Salvatore brother's dead but he knew he couldn't take on the older brother. Damon was more dangerous and stronger. However, Frederick wasn't alone. Just as Damon was delivering his punches into Frederick's face, two other tomb vampires hauled him off. Frederick knew this was his chance to take down one of the Salvatore Brothers. He sped out after Stefan.

Damon had to take care of these guys quickly. There was no way Alaric could protect Stefan against Frederick and Stefan was in no shape to fight. Damon grabbed the head of one of the vampires and snapped its neck. He then broke the leg off the wooden chair and stabbed it into the chest of the other one. Damon picked up his stake from the floor and headed to the front door. He had to go after Frederick but another vampire stepped in his way. Damon growled at him, "I don't have time to play nice anymore." He launched himself at the man.

* * *

Alaric lowered Stefan into the car and slammed the door shut. Stefan groaned as his body protested against the abuse it had taken throughout the day. "Hang in there, Stefan." Alaric said as he got in the car. He reached for the ignition and froze. Someone pulled it out. "Oh crap." He jumped when the car window smashed and Stefan was yanked out. "STEFAN!" Alaric reached behind him stumbling to get a weapon…any weapon.

Stefan couldn't fight Frederick's rage as he pounded him with his fists. He dropped Stefan to the ground. Stefan rolled over, trying to get up but was kicked in the ribs for his effort. He landed on his back and then felt himself hauled off the ground by his jacket. "This is for Bethanne." He said of the vampire Stefan had killed the night before. Frederick stabbed him with the branch he had broken up, deliberately aiming just short of the heart and then yanked it back out again. "And this is for the tomb…"

Alaric was about to jab Frederick with a vervain filled dart when Damon appeared out of nowhere and flung Frederick off his brother and into a tree. He didn't give the vampire time to recover. He grabbed the dart off Alaric and sped at Frederick, injecting it's content into his system. Frederick's eyes widened in horror, an animalistic sound coming from his mouth. "That was for torturing my brother." Damon pulled out his stake. "This is for trying to kill him." He stabbed the man in the heart. "Nobody tries to kill my brother and lives." Damon watched in satisfaction as Frederick's skin turn a deathly grey. He dropped the vampire to the ground. Finally, he was dead.

"Damon!" Alaric called to him, tearing him away from the dead vampire. He had the young vampire in his arms.

Damon rushed back over and saw his brother was unconscious. "He needs blood." He bit into his own wrist and held it to his brother's mouth, letting him feed off him.

"Will that help?"

Damon shook his head. "Barely. It's rated under animal blood but it's better than nothing."

"Will my blood help?" Alaric offered.

As much as Damon wanted to take up the offer he couldn't. There were two problems with that solution. One, Stefan wasn't a normal vampire. If he drank human blood he would become the one thing Stefan hated the most. Two, Stefan would never forgive him if he fed him people blood let alone Alaric's . "He can't have human blood." Stefan groaned when his meager sustenance was taken away. "Take him back to our place." Damon dragged Stefan to his feet with Alaric's help and got him in the car. "I have to go hunting." He was about to speed away when Stefan grabbed his wrist. Stefan was awake though Damon could tell he was barely aware. He just wanted his brother to stay by his side. Damon gently pulled his wrist out of Stefan's weak grip and took Stefan's head in his hands. "I'll be back soon. Just hang in there for me. Okay?"

Stefan looked at his brother lethargically, "…'kay"

Alaric watched the exchange, shocked at what he was seeing. From what he's been allowed to see of Damon Salvatore, this man was a cold-hearted, self-serving, murderous vampire. He didn't care about anyone but himself. Everyone has seen the way he treats his brother and the people around him. He was selfish. But anyone who was seeing him now would say he was a good, protective and caring brother.

Damon turned to him. "Get him home." Alaric nodded his promise. He reached under the steering wheel to hot-wire the car. "Whatever you do, don't give him human blood." Damon hesitated for another second, giving his unconscious brother an affectionate rub on the head with his knuckles before speeding off.

* * *

Damon raced through the trees. He wasn't as apt in hunting as his brother was. Animal blood tasted foul to him and it probably did to Stefan as well, but Stefan put up with it because he knew what human blood did to him. It was still pouring which meant he needed to get to higher ground if he wanted to catch anything substantial for Stefan. One bunny was not going to cut it this time. He needed a deer or boar or bear…not that he was going to catch a bear in Mystic Falls. His heart pounded as he thought about how close to death his brother was. Stefan wouldn't die, he knew that but it would be a few days before he fully regained his strength, which meant he had to be careful. It was dangerous being a vampire in Mystic Falls, especially with other vampires that wanted them dead. One thing he knew for sure. While Stefan healed, Damon would not be leaving his side, which was another reason why he needed something more than just a bunny. He needed enough blood to last three days.

* * *

Elena rushed to the door when she heard the doorbell, gasping at Stefan's state when she opened it. He sagged against Alaric, who was the only thing keeping him on his feet. "A little help." Alaric grunted when he felt Stefan slipping out of his grip. Elena quickly took up Stefan's other side, pulling his arm over her shoulder. "Which way?"

"Upstairs." Elena led the way to Stefan's room. It would be easier to lay him on the couch but Stefan needed the warmth and comfort of his own bed. They got him out of his wet clothes and under the covers of his large king-size bed. Elena sighed at how pale and weak Stefan looked. She sat on the side of the bed and combed her fingers through his hair. "What did they do to you?" She pulled down the covers, revealing the wounds over his chest. "Why aren't they healing?" She ran her hand lightly over the wound on the shoulder, across his chest and down to the one on the left side. "I'm sorry." She whispered when he flinched at her touch.

"Animal blood dulls their abilities. His injuries are severe, coupled with vervain in his system, he's going to take a while to bounce back from this." Alaric explained to her.

Elena turned to him. The solution seemed simple then; give Stefan human blood. "He can feed off me."

Alaric quickly put his hands out, stopping her from doing anything rash. "Damon said that we are not to feed him human blood under any circumstances."

"But he's dying!" Elena cried. "I can't just let him suffer like this."

"He's not dying, Elena." Alaric rubbed her shoulder as he looked down at Stefan in the bed. "He's not well but he's not dying. Damon will take care of him."

"Oh really!" Elena jumped up from the bed. "And where is he now?! Damon doesn't give a damn about his brother. I know that for a fact! He killed Stefan's best friend! Why should I trust him?"

"Elena…" Alaric tried to calm her down.

"No!" She shoved his hands off her shoulder, "I'm not listening to Damon." Elena looked around the room for something to cut her hand with. "I'm giving him my blood."

"You can't. You weren't there. I saw how worried Damon was. If he could give Stefan human blood, he would." Elena wasn't even listening to him as he rummaged through Stefan's draws. "He even fed Stefan his own blood!" That got Elena's attention. She paused and turned back to Alaric, hesitantly. "That's right. The selfish Damon you're talking about fed Stefan his own blood." Alaric shook his head. "I may not like the guy but I can see how much he cares about his brother. He's not going to let Stefan die."

"He's not going to die." Damon was at the door with flask. His shirt was soaked with blood. "Boar's blood. Ric, do me a favour and drain the rest of the boar's blood into bags. It's in the cellar." The entire time he was speaking, he was glaring at Elena.

Before today, he would've told Damon to go stuff himself but he's seen a new side of Damon Salvatore now. Alaric nodded. As he walked past Damon, he paused, "Go easy on her. She doesn't understand." He whispered before disappearing out the door.

"You really think I would go through all this trouble to save Stefan's life just to watch him die?" Damon sneered at her as he walked over to his brother. He put the flask down on the bedside table and gently snaked his arm under Stefan's shoulders, sitting him up and sliding in behind him. He rested Stefan's back against his chest, picking up the flask. "Drink up, little brother."

Elena watched in amazement at the gentleness Damon was showing. She's never seen this side of him. In all the time she had known him, he had only shown sarcasm and contempt. He was never this kind, loving brother.

Stefan pulled away from the blood, opening his eyes. He looked around the room. _How did I get back here?_ He frowned, trying to remember what happened. The last thing he remembered was his brother telling him to hold on, that he would be back soon. "Damon." He whispered. Then he remember Frederick torturing him, trying to kill him. He started panicking. Did Frederick go after his brother? "Damon!" He struggled to get out of the bed but something was keeping him there.

Damon wrapped his arms around Stefan. "Hey, it's okay. I'm right here." He spoke softly, in a soothing tone.

Stefan heard his brother's voice behind him. "Damon?" He tried to turn but groaned, closing his eyes at the sharp pain in his side.

"Okay. This isn't working." Damon got out from behind his brother and moved in front of him, keeping his arm around him to stop him from falling back. He tucked the pillows behind him and laid him back, supporting his head as he did. "Hey, open your eyes."

Stefan did as his brother asked, but only a slit. He looked at Damon blearily. "You're back."

"Yeah, I told you I'd be back." Damon held up the flask he usually used for his whiskey. "Got you some pig's blood."

Stefan smiled at the bottle. Damon rarely went hunting. He wasn't very good at hunting animals. He looked down at he blood on Damon's shirt. "You got blood everywhere."

Damon smirked, "I drink blood straight out of the source. It's less messy that way. I only did this for you so stop being a smart ass." Stefan's chuckle turned into a grunt as the pain in his chest flared. "Okay, less talk more drinking." Damon lifted his head and tipped the flask to Stefan's lips. He looked down at Stefan's wounds as he helped his brother drink. "He got very close to your heart every time he staked you. It's going to be a while before you're on your feet again. I really wished you could drink people blood." Stefan tried to pull away from the flask but Damon would let him. "Drink it all and then talk." He grinned at Stefan's tired glare. When he felt the flask empty, he pulled it away. His smile faded as Stefan's eyes started drooping. The tomb vampires took a lot out of him. Too much. Stefan frowned, trying to stay awake. "Sleep, little brother." He waited until Stefan finally gave in.

"Why can't you be like that with him all the time?" Damon jumped at the voice. He forgot Elena was still there.

"Did you enjoy the show?" Damon asked, back to his usual self again.

"That's the brother Stefan needs, not the dick I've had the displeasure of seeing everyday since you came to Mystic Falls." Elena told him.

"We have a love/hate relationship." Damon replied, snarkily. "Stefan's my brother. Nobody is allowed to hurt him but me."

"Nobody's allowed to hurt him, _especially you._ " Elena corrected him. "You're his brother. Why do you keep hurting him? Do you know what you did to him when you killed Lexi?"

Damon's eyes darkened at the reminder of what he did. "Stefan and I have been doing this for over a century. Don't tell me how I should treat my brother."

Elena shook her head, "I don't get you."

"You don't have to get me because this is between him and me. He gets me and that's all you need to know." Damon dared her to argue.

Elena knew he was right. For some reason, no matter how much pain Damon caused, no matter how heinous of a crime he commits, Stefan always stands by him. She sighed, tilting her head to get a clearer view of her boyfriend. As much as she wanted to stay she knew she wasn't needed. In the time that Stefan's been awake, he didn't ask for her. He only needed his brother. She walked over to Stefan and leaned over, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you." She whispered, then turned to Damon. "Take care of him. I'll come back in the morning."

Damon walked to the other side of Stefan's bed and made himself comfortable against the head of the bed. He didn't plan to leave his brother's side tonight. What happened to Stefan scared him. Psycho vampires tortured Stefan and he couldn't do anything about it. If it weren't for Alaric's help, Stefan would still be in the hands of the tomb vampires.

As if hearing his thoughts Alaric appeared at the door. "I've put the blood bags in the fridge in the cellar." His gaze moved onto Stefan. "How is he?"

"In a lot of pain." Damon answered bluntly but looking worriedly at his brother.

"ooo…kay." Alaric pointed behind him. "I'm going to head home now." He turned to leave when Damon didn't acknowledge him.

"Hey." Alaric stopped, turning around. "Thanks." He nodded and then left. Damon sighed. "Now look what you did. You know how much I hate owing people." He admonished his sleeping brother. "But I would gladly owe a million people to save your life." Stefan groaned in his sleep as he rolled onto his wounded side. Damon pushed him onto his back again. "Let's not hurt yourself anymore." He winced at the ugly wound. It made him wish that he had prolonged Frederick's suffering. "We're going to have to do something about your human blood problem."

Stefan turned his head away from his brother as if trying to get away from something. "No…no…blood…"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. I won't force you to drink it, unlike Elena. Your girlfriend was going to feed you her blood." He snorted at the thought. "You would be unbearable if I let her do that." Stefan opened his eyes and turned to his brother. His eyes were glazed over so Damon knew he wasn't quite awake. "Go to sleep."

Stefan gave a small smile, "I missed…you."

Damon scoffed, "Pfff…How is that possible? I've been around for over 150 years."

Stefan shook his head, "You hate me."

Damon let out a breath and placed a hand against his brother's forehead, affectionately. "I can't hate you. You're my baby bro."

"I miss…this…"

Damon smirked. "I should record this and play it to you when you get better. I can embarrass you for eternity."

His brother frowned at him. "Misery…you promised mis…ery…"

The conversation was getting a little frustrating. "I'm trying to be nice, Stef, so stop reminding me of my stupid promise!"

"I would…give up…everything to take back…what I did. We should've…died that day." Stefan closed his eyes, exhaustion pulling him back to his slumber.

Damon wished Stefan would stop feeling guilty about every decision he made or at least let go of some of them. Then again, that was the day he promised Stefan an eternity of misery. It was a hard day to let go of. Damon didn't feel guilty. He has seen his brother live in guilt and he refused to do that to himself. As far as he was concerned, guilt was a useless emotion. Stefan's been like this since he was a boy. He hated seeing people get hurt and if there were anyway of linking that hurt back to him then he would do anything and everything to make it up to that person. Damon used to think that taking the brunt of their father's anger protected Stefan but then he found out how wrong he was one day.

 _Fifteen year old Damon groaned in his sleep. He had a sore backside from the belting he received from his father the night before. Their father had returned with Damon's horse. It was out in a farmer's field, eating their carrots. Guiseppe had to compensate the farmer and returned home to teach his son a lesson in locking the stable gates. It was Stefan who had left the barn unlocked. He did it on purpose because he knew Guiseppe abused the horse. Damon tried to take good care of it but there were times when their father would punish Damon by punishing the horse. Stefan hated it, but he didn't know that letting the horse go would get his brother in trouble. Damon didn't know what Stefan had done. He thought Stefan had forgotten and he took the punishment to protect him._

 _Damon woke up earlier than normal because of the pain. He couldn't go back to sleep so he decided to go see to his horse. He opened his window and saw that it was raining. He groaned. It was as if the heavens were punishing him as well. When he got down to the stables he found his brother shivering outside the barn, holding their father's hunting rifle. He froze at his little brother's state. "Stefan." Damon shoved off his raincoat and wrapped it around Stefan's shoulders. "What are you doing?" He picked him up and carried him into the barn, setting aside the rifle. "You're shivering. Are you trying to catch your death?" He set his brother down and rubbed his arms up and down, trying to warm him up._

" _It's my fault." Stefan sobbed. "I let Spencer go."_

 _Damon frowned, confused. "Why would you do that?"_

" _Father keeps hitting him. He's not happy." Stefan cried, "I wanted to help. I didn't know he would eat Mr Stanhope's carrots."_

" _You were just trying to help." Damon hugged his brother, rubbing circles on his back. "It's going to be alright."_

" _No, it's not. It's not!" Damon worried when his brother started panicking. "Father's going to punish Spencer like he punished you. It's my fault!"_

 _Damon wanted to lie, to tell his brother Spencer would be fine, but his horse bore the marks of abuse. He frowned when he remembered the rifle his brother was holding. He looked his brother in the eyes when he asked the question he dreaded the answer to. "Were you here to put him down?" Stefan shook as he nodded. "Oh…Stefan." He pulled his little brother back into his arms. Stefan was nine. He wasn't supposed to be thinking about things like this. He was supposed to be having fun with his friends._

" _I couldn't do it."_

" _Of course not." Damon looked up at the horse. Stefan was right. Spencer was going to be punished and it was as if the horse knew it. He could see the fear in its eyes. An idea started forming. He could help his brother and save the horse. "Come on. I have a plan." The first thing Damon did was smash the lock on Spencer's gate. It was early enough for them to get the horse out without anyone seeing. It was a painful ride for Damon but it was worth it. They handed the horse over to a friend of his who was leaving town today for good. He was the son of a wealthy man and therefore could easily get away with taking the horse out of town even if Spencer was recognised._

 _Damon and Stefan returned home and quickly got out of their wet clothes. Damon frowned at Stefan trembling. "Stefan, how are you feeling?"_

" _I'm good." Stefan grinned through his shivers. "You saved Spencer." He wrapped his arms around Damon's neck. "You're the best brother in the whole world!"_

 _Damon chuckled, hugging his brother back. "Don't you forget that." But he was still worried. Stefan was still trembling. "Come here." He lifted his brother and tucked him in his bed, then got under with him, rocking him until he fell asleep. Stefan ended up spending three nights in his bed fighting a fever and chest cold. Damon's never been so scared in his life. His little brother shook, coughed and cried as the fever took him into the worst nightmares. Damon didn't leave his side, speaking comforting words in his ear to keep the nightmares at bay. When the fever broke it was like a ray of sunshine through dark clouds._

Damon learned a valuable lesson that day. Stefan felt guilt like no other and if he believed he was the cause of anyone's pain, he would do everything in his power to fix it. He was careful from that point onwards with how he protected his brother. He couldn't take the blame for everything because Stefan would feel the pain in his own way. Damon knew it was why Stefan accepted whatever Damon did to him since they transition because he believed he deserved it. He felt the guilt of making his brother stay with him. It was the most selfish thing he did in his life and Damon made him pay for it.

Damon looked over at his brother and combed his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry. I haven't been a very good brother, have I?" Stefan groaned. The pain was making his sleep restless. He rolled onto his good side, or his better side, and curled up around his mid-section. Damon winced. There wasn't much he could do for pain except…Damon raised his eyebrows. He did have a whole cellar filled with alcohol. "Be right back, Stef." He got off the bed and rushed out and back inside ten seconds. He grinned proudly at himself as he held a bottle of whiskey in his hands. "My favourite painkiller. Works for any kind of pain." He put it on the bedside table and rolled his brother onto his back. "Here you go." He lifted Stefan's head and tipped the bottle to his lips. "This will take away all the pain. I should know."

Stefan frowned at the burning liquid his brother was feeding him. He wanted to stop but the bottle wouldn't move from his lips so the kept swallowing the liquid until Damon was satisfied he had enough and took it away.

Damon took a few good mouthfuls before putting the bottle down. "How's that, brother?" He tapped his brother's cheek. "Feeling better?"

"Hmmm?" Stefan opened his eyes. He looked at the bottle in his brother's hand and reached for it. Damon laughed, helping his brother to the rest of the bottle.

"That should be enough to put you to sleep until tomorrow morning." Damon said proudly, setting the empty bottle on the table. He smiled at how peaceful his brother looked now that he were sleeping painlessly. He reached down and gripped his brother's hand in his. "Get better soon. I'm not good at sitting around."

* * *

 **The next morning…**

Damon pulled open the curtains in Stefan's room, rudely waking his brother from his alcohol induced slumber. Stefan groaned, pressing his hand to his head. "Ugh…what did you do to me?" He tried to push himself up but the pain in his chest decided to challenge his headache.

"I helped you sleep." Damon answered Stefan's accusation.

"You didn't really think about this morning when you gave me whiskey, did you?" Stefan closed his eyes, hoping to ease the pounding in his head.

"Are you telling me a bottle of whiskey is all it takes to give you a hangover?" Damon scoffed. "You've gone soft."

Stefan smiled, despite the pain, "Says the guy who stayed in my room the whole night." Damon narrowed his eyes at him but he didn't have a smart come back. He just shrugged as if it was nothing. "I'm okay now. You can go threaten a poor soul."

Damon eyed Stefan in the bed, pointing at him with both his index fingers. "If you can get out of bed, I'll go."

Stefan glared at him as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. That alone took a lot of energy out of him but Stefan had a stubborn streak. He steeled himself against the pain and pushed himself up the rest of the way.

Damon folded his arms and clenched his jaw as he watched his damn independent brother push past the pain just to prove him wrong. He managed to control the urge to shove Stefan onto the bed until he swung his legs over the side. Stefan doubled over in pain, tipping over as the pain robbed him on his control over his body. That was all Damon could stand. He rushed over, catching his brother before he dropped to the floor. "Alright, that's enough exercise for one day." He laid Stefan back against the pillows before sitting on the side of the bed. Stefan was breathing heavily from the effort of controlling the pain. "And the lesson here is; always listen to your big brother."

Stefan glared at him through tired eyes, "Shut up."

Damon would've grinned smugly at the words but the weakness in Stefan's voice just made him worry. "Stefan, you were staked…god knows how many times in one day while having vervain in your system. Frederick was this close," Damon held his thumb and index finger a millimetre apart, "to killing you."

Stefan sighed, hearing the fear in his brother's voice. "Fine, I'll stay here." Damon sagged in relief. "Why did you wake me up if you didn't want me to get up?"

"We need to get more blood into you." Damon picked up the bag of blood from the bedside table. "You're not going to heal if you don't drink."

Stefan reached over for the blood. "Thanks." He sighed as the blood ran down his throat and filled his stomach.

"We need to do something about you and people blood." Damon brought up the subject they both hated. "It's getting more dangerous out there."

"I'll be fine, Damon." Stefan promised him and then smiled, "You're always around to take care of me."

Damon shook his head, "I won't always be." His expression turned serious. "I can help you control it." Stefan started shaking his head, but Damon lifted his hands to tell him to hear him out. "You can do this. I'll be right here to make sure you don't kill anyone."

"You know I can't control it." Stefan whispered, his voice shaking at the mere thought of losing control.

Damon took Stefan head in his hands, "You know you can trust me, right?" Stefan nodded without hesitation. He never doubted his brother. It was he, himself, he didn't trust. "Then what's wrong."

"Every time I try to do something right, it goes wrong. Like when I tried to save Spencer…you ended up…"

"Hey…that wasn't your fault." Damon found it a little amusing that he was thinking about that day just last night. "That was Guiseppe." Damon hissed the name of their father. The man never cared for his family.

"His blood was the first I tasted." Stefan's eyes glazed over as he remembered that night. "I went there to do the right thing, to say good bye and then die but he called me a monster." Tears dropped as he retold the story of that night. Damon knew Stefan had killed their father but he's never heard Stefan tell the story this way, like he was reliving it. He wanted to stop Stefan but it was like they were both trapped. "He ordered his own sons to be killed and he dared to call us monsters. I hate him. I've never hated anyone so much. He tried to kill me again. I didn't know how strong I was. I threw him." Stefan started shaking. "There was so much blood. It was on my hands." Damon watched as Stefan returned to the present. "It tasted so good. I wanted you to try it." Damon nodded. Stefan had brought the girl to him to try it. "Do you see, Damon? Every time I try to do something right. It goes really, really wrong."

Damon shrugged, "Drinking human blood isn't really right." He could tell the joke didn't go over well. He sighed, "You're strong, Stefan, you can do it."

Stefan shook his head, "The Ripper in me is stronger. I can't fight it if I let it out." He whispered fearfully, looking at his brother. "There's already too many names on the wall." He started shaking. "Please don't make me." He begged. "Please…I can't…I won't…" He stumbled with his words, grabbing Damon by the arms. "I can't become him again."

Damon winced at the grip Stefan had on his arms. He looked down at them. His knuckles were white. "Okay. Okay. I'm not going to force you." Stefan loosened his grip. "I wouldn't do that to you." He said softly, taking in his brother's state. He was still trembling. "Hey!" He gave Stefan a quick shake and waited until Stefan looked him in the eye. "I'm not going to let you become the Ripper, okay? And even if you did, I will make sure you come back from it. I promise." Stefan seemed to calm at those words. Damon smiled. It still worked. _I promise._ Those were the magical words that would always comfort his brother.

"You promise." Stefan relaxed back into the pillows. He almost forgot how it felt when Damon made him a promise that wasn't full of malice. Damon always kept his word to him. His eyes started falling shut on their own. He tried to fight the exhaustion but it was a losing battle.

"Go to sleep, Stefan." Damon wanted to laugh at his brother's attempt at staying awake. He did that a lot when he was little. He would complain that he was a big boy and could stay up late but as soon as the argument was out of his mouth he was fast asleep in Damon's arm.

Damon sighed as he stood and stretched. It was a long night and he was tired as well from taking care of Stefan. He pulled an armchair over to the bed and sat down. It wasn't long before he was asleep as well.

* * *

Elena came into the room and found them like that. Damon; the cold, heartless vampire, keeping guard over his little brother. She smiled. This was the Damon she could be friends with. She left the room, knowing she wasn't needed. Stefan had the only person he needed at his side.

 **The End.**


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